Helmut Marko has admitted that Red Bull’s plan for their driver line-up for the 2025 Formula 1 season ‘didn’t quite work out’ after setting a clear goal for their decision.
The team from Milton Keynes will once again continue with Sergio Perez playing back-up to Max Verstappen next year. Red Bull decided to hand Perez an extension to his previous deal ahead of the Canadian GP which tied the 34-year-old in until the end of the 2026 campaign.
Perez was otherwise due to be a free agent at the close of the current season. Verstappen is under contract for Red Bull through the 2028 campaign after the 26-year-old signed a long-term deal back in March 2022. But the constructors’ title holders also explored alternatives.
Helmut Marko admits Red Bull’s decision to give Sergio Perez a new contract ‘didn’t work’
Red Bull showed an interest in replacing Perez with a handful of rival Formula 1 drivers from Alex Albon to Carlos Sainz plus promoting Daniel Ricciardo from their junior team, Visa Cash App RB. But Red Bull decided to keep Perez in a move Marko states was to deliver calmness.
Marko claims that Red Bull extended Perez’s contract to keep him alongside Verstappen and have a tranquil garage. But the plan has already failed and Marko now wants Perez to ‘prove himself’ in the coming rounds after disastrous races at the Monaco GP and the Canadian GP.
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This week’s Spanish GP followed by Red Bull’s home events, the Austrian GP and the British GP, offer Perez the chance to respond at what Marko calls ‘real race tracks’. The Mexican let his team down in Monte Carlo and Montreal after retiring from both without being a threat.
“He really didn’t have to stick to it,” Marko told OE24. “We extended his contract because we wanted to bring calm to our team, which unfortunately didn’t quite work out. But now Checo has three races ahead of him on three real race tracks, so he can prove himself.”
Sergio Perez’s crashes in the Monaco GP and the Canadian GP let Red Bull down
Red Bull confirmed that Perez signed his contract extension hot off the back of retiring from the Monaco GP. The Guadalajara native crashed on Lap 1 after giving Kevin Magnussen zero space on the run through Beau Rivage, despite spotting the Haas driver’s move in his mirror.
Perez had also left himself in the danger zone by only managing the 17th fastest lap time in qualifying. His woes continued in the Canadian GP, too, after Red Bull saw Perez retire again on Lap 51. After another Q1 exit with P16, Perez spun on his own at Turn 6 to ruin his RB20.
The stewards even slapped Perez with a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish GP after he returned to the pits with a heavily damaged car. Red Bull told Perez to avoid stopping on the circuit to prevent a safety car as his rear wing lost parts after heavy contact with the barrier.
The post ‘Didn’t quite work’: Helmut Marko admits Red Bull plan failed after 2025 F1 line-up decision appeared first on F1 Oversteer.